Completion of Stump Pass Maintenance Dredging Prolonged

The Charlotte County, Florida, confirmed last week that the deadline for the completion of Stump Pass maintenance dredging and beach re-nourishment project has been prolonged to May 15th.

According to the county, the dredge contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, has dredged and placed over 125,000 CY out of 150,000 CY on the Updrift Beach Fill (Manasota Key) from north of the structure (R20.5 – Station 205+00 on the baseline) to the north end of the fill (R18.3 – Station 183+00 on the baseline).

The rock subcontractor, Luhr Brothers, has completed the primary sections of the terminal groin from the landward end to the seaward crest (over 300 feet) plus another 50 ft of the foundation layer; at which point the structure slopes and extends seaward into the gulf for another 150 feet.

In its latest update on the project, the county reported that the dredge was just refurbished by the manufacturer. “Unfortunately GLDD has experienced a significant amount of downtime due to major mechanical issues with the dredge. This has precluded the completion of sand placement on the Updrift Beach Fill prior to May 1st.”

“In coordination with the state and federal regulatory agencies, we have requested an extension to May 15th to complete the Updrift Beach Fill,” reported the county.

“The dredge is currently shut down for repairs. They smooth graded the beach from R20.5 to R18.3 and they arranged for the beach to be tilled on Sunday the 30th. From this point, all equipment and activity will be constrained from R20.5 South to the inlet,” said Project Manager, Vernon Joanne. “The goal is to restart dredging as soon as repairs are made.”

“They estimate 5 days of pumping to complete the fill. Basically they need to fill in and around the structure. Then they will smooth grade the beach, degrade their stockpiles, and demobilize off Manasota Key,” added Vernon Joanne. “Goal is to be 100% complete prior to May 15th on Manasota Key. Then they will shift to the south side of the pass and complete the dredging and fill placement on the North Beach Fill on Palm Island.”

Charlotte County’s information station, the CC-TV has just released a video on the project, explaining how the Stump Pass is being dredged and how the addition of a groin will slow down the natural refilling of sand in the pass.